Preschool teachers and daycare staff could soon be required to help brush children’s teeth under a new proposal from the New York City Board of Health.

The proposal, which was approved Tuesday for public comment and will be voted on in June, would require staff at school-based programs — preschools connected to an ongoing school and shelter drop-off sites — to assist all children over 2 years old with brushing their teeth using toothpaste with fluoride.

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“Tooth decay is the most common disease in childhood,” George Askew, deputy commissioner, said during the Board of Health’s quarterly meeting in Queens. “And it is preventable.”

Askew explained that in 2014 a health department survey found that 15 percent of children in child care programs were found to have caries, the scientific term for tooth decay. That increased to 42 percent by the third grade. Brushing teeth can help, but 40 percent of children under six years old did not brush their teeth twice a day and 45 percent of children did not use fluoride toothpaste.

Board members, appreciative of the idea, were a bit concerned with how it would be implemented.

“It’s been my observation that not all 2-year-olds enjoy having their teeth brushed,” said Lynne Richardson, a board member and professor of population health science and policy at The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

Askew, a former pediatrician for the federal Head Start program, said this same policy is being implemented in Head Start programs, which serve about 1 million kids across the country.

It only takes 10 minutes, he said, and serves as an excellent transitional activity.

There was also some concern over how to keep 2-year-olds from sharing toothbrushes, swapping spit and germs.

Askew said he was aware of no evidence that communicable diseases had been spread in Head Start programs, and that he would look to see if any such literature existed and present what he finds at the June meeting.

The Board of Health's requirements for brushing teeth are remarkably specific.

Staff would be required to place the toothpaste onto a piece of wax paper or disposable plate, then scoop the amount on to the toothbrush. This avoids having the tube touch the brush.

Children will be instructed to brush the top teeth and then the bottom teeth. Staff must also keep a log.